Missouri among states with most inmates doing life

A study by the New York Times says only five states have more prison inmates serving life-without-parole prison sentences than Missouri has. Missouri has 116. Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Louisiana have more than 300, each. Florida and California have 250 or more.

Three of Missouri’s 116 inmates three were 13 or 14 years old when they committed the crimes that put them in prison. Nationally, 70 prisoners were that young when they were sent to prison with no hope of ever being released.